Home to one of the most beautiful church interiors in New Zealand, Old St. Paul’s is an icon of the capital. Only taking nine months to build, it opened in 1866, though was modified over the next sixty years. The first modifications were to deal with Wellington’s ferocious winds, later to add more space and replace the original wooden shingle roof with corrugated iron, then with Welsh slates.
It was nearly demolished in the mid 1960s when the Diocese of Wellington moved to the rather peachy St Paul’s Cathedral nearby.
Thankfully it was saved and is now managed by Heritage New Zealand. It’s understandably popular both as a tourist attraction and wedding venue.
